YPG

Ties between Turkey and the United States will hardly improve if the latter does not halt its cooperation with the YPG in Syria, the Turkish defense minister has said, adding that Washington's claims that the PKK and the YPG are two different organizations have nothing to do with the reality.

The biggest problem between Turkey and the United States is the latter's continued support to the YPG in eastern Syria, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said, calling on its NATO ally to revise its decision to impose sanctions on the Turkish defense industry body over the acquisition of the Russian S-400 systems.

Turkey and Iraq agreed to continue fighting terrorists trying to disrupt peace and stability in their common region, the Turkish president announced on Dec. 17. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks came at a joint news conference following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi who is in Turkey to discuss regional, bilateral and economic ties.

Security units seized some 333,000 roots of cannabis sativa and at least 110 kilograms (nearly 250 pounds). of marijuana in eastern Turkey, authorities said on June 8. 

The normalization process will not be about abandoning measures all together but we have to adapt to the new normal, Turkey's presidential spokesperson said on May 23. 

"We need to get used to living with masks. Turkey will go down to history when this coronavirus pandemic is over and it is written down," Ibrahim Kalın said on local television station NTV.

Turkey currently hosts 3.58 million Syrians, while over 400,000 have returned to their country, according to official Interior Ministry figures released on May 5. 

At least 40 civilians, including 11 children, were killed on April 28 in a YPG/PKK terrorist attack in northwestern Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said.

At least 47 others were also wounded in the attack in the Afrin city center carried out using a bomb-rigged fuel tanker, the ministry said in a tweet.

Turkey has quarantined a total of 138,000 citizens nationwide as part of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's interior minister said on April 9.

Of these, 122,500 are quarantined at 180 locations nationwide, while the others are staying in dormitories, said Süleyman Soylu.

The Turkish army "neutralized" 18 YPG/PKK terrorists attempting to infiltrate northern Syrian territories, the National Defense Ministry said on March 9.

"Our heroic commandos neutralized 18 PKK/YPG terrorists trying to infiltrate the southern area of the [Operation] Peace Spring region," said the ministry on Twitter.

Turkey's president has said that he will meet with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on March 5 to discuss the recent situation in Syria and Libya.